Get the hunting job done with the .30-06 Springfield. This ammo can bring down all kinds of big game animals with its impressive ballistics.
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.30-06 Springfield Ammunition Review
Ammo History
The powerhouse known as .30-06, or .30 aught-six, or, .30 “oh-six”— depending on where you're from — has a rich history that covers weapons of all types from machine guns to hunting rifles, and got its start way back in the early 1900s.
If there is something out there that is confusing to newer gun owners, it's the wording on the box end. Eve already touched on this on a broader scale, but I wanted to talk about what the .30-06 actually means.
This large game rifle cartridge has a .30 caliber bullet (.308 to be exact), with a casing size of roughly 63 millimeters (compare with the below photo of a 308 ammo, with a casing size of 51 mm).
Therefore, the .30 is the diameter of the bullet. This specific iteration of the cartridge was developed in 1906, hence the -06. Therefore, the .30-06 is the name of the cartridge, and it shows you the caliber of the 30-06 bullet and the year it was developed.
Being that it was developed back in 1906, means it saw a lot of action in early American wars.
One of its most awesome counterparts is the Browning Automatic Rifle, otherwise known as the BAR. Please note that when you say it, you pronounce each letter separately, B. A. R.
This powerful machine gun was used in WWI and WWII and is a box-fed, gas-operated, squad machine gun.
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Still in Use Today
This venerable cartridge is still used, today, only not in many wars. For us Americans, the .30-06 Springfield is the perfect choice for taking game ranging in size from deer with bullet weights in the neighborhood of 150 grains, up to 220 grains for moose, brown bear, and even the more exotic big game you find overseas.
The .30-06 Springfield just gets the job done, no matter what you're looking to eat. And, while we don't have the time to divulge the ballistics on all-grain size bullets, many of them push the envelope with near (and some over) the 3,000 FPS speeds mark.
What Is Ballistics? The science of a bullet's changes and behavior with respect to its distance from the barrel when fired
What does this mean? You get a flat-shooting projectile capable of bucking the wind.
Watch this short video of the .30-06 Spring Cartridge Hall of Fame by MidwayUSA:
This ammo's numbers ultimately add up to an incredibly accurate, long-distance, big game taker with 30-06 ballistics close to magnum rifle cartridge levels without the recoil. Of course, .30-06 recoil is nothing to sneeze at.
If you've never shot one before, you'll know when the primer is struck.
What's the biggest game you've ever taken with the .30-06? If not, what's your go-to hunting cartridge of choice? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on October 25, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
